Warriors Challenges
by xXEternalBlossomXx
Summary: My various Warriors writing challenges. Feel free to read! Rated T for drama.
1. Starlight

Mousekit had it hard from the beginning. He was born a Tribe kit, named Mouse Who Eats Berries. The other kits happened to find his name... well... ironic. You see, Mouse had always been a little on the plump side. So the other kits were fairly horrid about it.

"Your name should be Mouse Who Eats Everything, because you're so chubby!" yowled Bird That Flies Across Water. The other tribe kits giggled. Mouse just sighed. He was a quiet kit, and very timid. It didn't help that he never stood up for himself.

Mouse also had some strange habits. Every day, whenever he could sneak out, he would go climb the rocky mountain that was the Tribe's home. Near the top of the peak, there was a rocky overhang. At only one moon old, he learned how to sneak up there. He knew it was wrong, but he would even hoard prey up there. He would always look up at the sun and think "That must be a beautiful place. Warm, and yellow, and bright. Someday, I'll touch the sun. And from then on, my life will be perfect because I will have touched the sun." It all made sense in his mind.

His mother, Tree That Sways In Breeze, or Breeze, was very traditional. She was the kind of mother who liked to parade her kits around and show them off. Whenever one of them did something a little unusual, she felt like it reflected on her badly, not the kit. So it was bad when she caught Mouse doing his sun-staring one day.

Mouse had been gone for hours, and she was getting worried. She ran outside the Tribe caves. "Mouse!" she screamed. There was no reply. She decided that she had to go up the mountain to search for him. She climbed up the rocky slope, screaming his name every once in a while. There was never a reply. Finally, she saw his cliff. It was full of fresh-kill, which was breaking the rules. And he was sitting there, staring at the sun. How dare he?

Brook snarled and swiped at her son. "What are you doing?" she screamed. Mouse kept his cool. "Sungazing." he mewed quietly. She yowled in anger and pinned him under her. "Go!" she screamed. She whacked him in the head, claws unsheathed. "Leave! Never come back!"

So Mouse did. He ran, almost falling off the mountain as he went. When he knew he was out of harm's way, he followed an old trail with a very, very faint scent of cat. But being a three moon-old kit presented some problems. First off, he couldn't hunt. He knew that he couldn't last long on the dead mouse he had found and water. And he didn't. Following the scent, he wandered through the seemingly endless forests.

Finally, he made it to a large lake. But that was where the scent stopped. There weren't any other cats. Starved, exhausted, and let down, Mouse collapsed on the hard ground. He couldn't make it any farther. He knew that he was going to die. "I'll touch the sun now." he squeaked, and passed out.

It was Ferncloud who found him, out on a hunting patrol. She screamed when she saw the plump, but dead-looking, kit. Berrynose, who was on the same patrol, saw him too. "We've got to take him to ThunderClan." he said calmly. Ferncloud nodded numbly. They managed to lug him back to camp, leaving all their prey in the middle of the forest.

The first place they took him was Minnowpelt, the young, kind medicine cat. She gasped when she saw him. "Is he dead?" she asked. "No." confirmed Berrynose. "What's wrong with him, then?" asked a dazed Ferncloud. Minnowpelt examined the brown kit thoroughly. "He's dehydrated, starved, and exhausted. He probably won't make it through the night."

Ferncloud and Berrynose left the den to go to sleep, leaving only Minnowpelt and Mouse in the small herb-smelling choked down the herbs, which Minnowpelt made him swallow. Minnowpelt looked at Mouse. "You need a nest, little kit." she said. She grabbed some of the soft green moss that she kept in her den and laid Mouse down on it. "There you go." she mewed, smiling. Suddenly, Mouse opened his big brown eyes.

Minnowpelt gasped. "Y-you're alive!" she stuttered. Mouse nodded. "What's your name?" she asked. "Mouse Who Eats Berries." he said in his quiet, sweet voice. Minnowpelt smiled. "Well, that's not going to work. How about Mousekit?" Mousekit nodded. Anything to get away from his old life. Suddenly, he blurted out "I want to touch the sun."

Mousekit prepared for humiliation, but Minnowpelt just smiled. "That's a good dream to have, Mousekit." she said kindly. "Do you want to stay with me? I can help you with that." Mousekit nodded happily. Bramblestar made arrangements for him to live in the medicine cat den.

It was a perfect arrangement. Mousekit and Minnowpelt would go to Sunningrocks to stare at the sun every day. Mousekit planned to become a medicine cat apprentice soon. But their happiness was short.

When Mousekit was five moons old, a large mountain lion invaded the camp. The kits were told to hide in their dens while the warriors fought it off. But Mousekit was transfixed by the sun-like color of it's pelt. He stepped closer and closer. The warriors backed away as the mountain lion moved toward Mousekit. 'This is the sun's messenger, here to take me.' Mousekit thought. 'I understand now.'

Minnowpelt was horrified as the little kit stood there. Suddenly, she jumped in front of him when the lion tried to swipe. She crumpled and lay in a bloody heap on the ground. Mousekit ran toward her. "I'm so sorry." he mewed quietly. She smiled and rasped, "It's not your fault." "We never got to touch the sun." said Mousekit wistfully.

Minnowpelt looked at him. "Mousekit, soon you'll be a great medicine cat. I know that you can train yourself. And Mousekit, I'm leaving. I'm not coming back. But don't miss me. I'll be up there, and someday you'll join me." Mousekit nodded. He licked her cheek as she said, "I'll touch he sun for you, Mousekit." Her spirit slowly drifted away to touch the warm, StarClan sun.


	2. Spinning Out Of Control

_My heart spun out of control. It was a nightmare, yet a beautiful one. I prodded him with a paw, feeling dizzy. Was this our kit? I didn't even want a mate...much less a forbidden one._

I stare at the tiny, white tom-kit, horrified. What have I done? I'm usually a perfect cat, the sweet, ginger RiverClan she-cat who everyone looks up to. Mothers tell their kits, "Why can't you be as nice as Appleblossom?". I wasn't the cat who would go off and have a kit with a forbidden mate. Suddenly, my mate, Whiteblaze of ThunderClan, steps out of the bushes.

He looks at our kit with green eyes full of love. "Isn't he beautiful?" he asks. I have to admit, he is. He looks exactly like Whiteblaze, with a bright white pelt and perfectly proportioned features. His little eyes aren't opened yet, but I'm sure that they'll be amber, just like Whiteblaze's.

"What do we name him?" he whispers, careful not to be heard by any cats who would just happen to be stopping by the bushes surrounding ThunderClan territory in the middle of the night.

"How about a bird name?" I ask. "Maybe Hawkkit, or Robinkit?"

Whiteblaze shakes his head. "Too cliche. How about Talonkit?"

This is one of the things that I love about Whiteblaze. He's never afraid to tell me his opinions. "Sure." I say. "And Whiteblaze, we need to get out."

"That's fine." he says. "You go to RiverClan, and I'll go back to ThunderClan. Can you take Talonkit?"

I consider the two options. I would be disgraced, my perfect reputation ruined. I could even be thrown out of RiverClan. But I'd get to be with Talonkit, and raise him. I would watch my kit grow up, and someday, people just might forget about this whole thing.

"Fine." I finally say. "Goodbye, Whiteblaze." I know that I might never see him again, and it hurts. I feel so bad.

"Goodbye, Appleblossom." he says in his warm, comforting voice. As I walk away with Talonkit in my mouth, he licks me affectionately on the cheek.

The next few days are pure torture. I don't hide that Talonkit is mine. The entire Clan ignores me because of it. My best friend, Ripplestep, stays far away from me. Talonkit's eyes finally open, and they're amber just like I thought.A week and a half after I come back to RiverClan, there's a Gathering. Somehow I'm invited, and Ripplestep is forced by our leader, Otterstar, to watch over Talonkit for me.

As I arrive at the Gathering, I see Whiteblaze standing with the rest of his Clan, sharing tounges. I feel no anger, just sadness. Finally the cats quiet down, and the leaders start to talk. Otterstar goes second, after the WindClan leader, Brightstar. I zone out for most of his speech, except for one part.

"Three beautiful kits were born in our Clan this month." he announces. "Two female kits, Mistkit and Spiritkit, and one male kit, Ravenkit."

I wait for him to correct himself and add Talonkit to the list, but he just keeps talking. Something needs to be done. I walk over to Whiteblaze. "Meet me outside Thunderclan territory at moonhigh." I say. He says nothing, only nods.

That night I meet him as promised. I have Talonkit with me. He knows what we need to do, but I tell him anyway.

"We need to leave the Clans for good." I say. "We won't be judged anymore. We can start a family, have a good life. And if our kits want to come back someday, that's fine."

"All right." says Whiteblaze. "I know of an abandoned den near the ocean. Let's go there."

It's a long walk, but we finally make it there. Home at last.

~EPILOUGE~  
Moons later,we have a beautiful little family. We train our kits to hunt and battle ourselves. Talonkit is now Talonheart, and we have three other kits, Tawnybird, Nightflame, and Fawnpaw. Our life is perfect now, and it's hard to think that this came from a nightmare. But maybe some nightmares aren't nightmares in the end. This one turned into a beautiful dream.


	3. For StarClan's Sake

**Note: This is an ImagineClan challenge rather than a SecretClan challenge.**

"Brightpaw was the best apprentice that a warrior could have had. She was so quick to learn, and so eager. She was just full of joy, and happiness. And she was only a quarter moon away from being a warrior, she was so excited. I'm so sorry that she's gone." I get choked up as I talk about Brightpaw. Her mother, Echomist, dips her head. I know that she's sadder than me, that it hurt her more when her only daughter caught greencough.

Well, most of the Clan caught greencough, to be fair. Her brother, Flameheart, did too. But they all recovered. Brightpaw didn't. She just got sicker and sicker. But Brightpaw was tough. She never told anyone how bad it was, never complained once. And earlier today, she died. Stormpool, our Clan's medicine cat, told me first.

"She's gone." he said. Nothing more. He was never one for sympathy, he just told the cold hard facts. My last words to Brightpaw were, "Someday we'll be together again."

Her mother's words snap me out of my daydream. "Cherrynose, go away. This is all your fault."

I'm stunned. Echomist is usually such a kind she-cat. "What did you just say?" I ask. I'm sure that I heard her wrong.

"Leave. Now." she snarls. "You didn't tell us soon enough. You didn't take care of my daughter like you should have. Now leave."

I run without replying. I know just where to go: the hideout that my mate, Redblaze, and I have shared since we were apprentices. It's up in a tree, in a room made out of branches and leaves. I climb up the tree and lay down. Soon, I fall asleep. It's the first time I've slept in days.

When I wake up, I'm surprised to find Redblaze standing over me. His amber eyes are sad. "Cherrynose." he says. "I'm so sorry for you. You've been through a lot lately, haven't you?" I nod, expecting sympathy. Redblaze, however, has other ideas.

"You can't just wallow in sorrow forever. You have a life to live, a Clan to serve. Our kits are on the way. What will they think if their mother doesn't care about them, and she just lives in a separate world? Please go live life. For StarClan's sake."

He's right, and I know it. I'm expecting kits in a moon. Brightpaw would have loved them, but now she'll never get to meet them. I should take care of them...

But I can't just forget Brightpaw. "No!" I yell. "I don't care about these kits, I don't care about BreezeClan, and I _especially _don't care about StarClan! If they existed, they wouldn't have killed Brightpaw!" He steps back like he's been clawed. I don't care. I run back to camp, to my den, and sleep.

The next day, I am called to the leader's den. Redblaze is standing next to Skystar. Skystar walks up to me, her blue eyes full of anger.

"Cherrynose, I have been told that you are doubting the existence of StarClan. Is that true?"

I could say no, I could say that it's all a lie. Then, maybe I wouldn't get punished. That's not the truth, though. I don't believe in StarClan anymore. So I nod, ready for whatever happens. Skystar is surprised.

"But Cherrynose, you've always been such a loyal member of BreezeClan. Are you sure about this?" she asks.

I am, so I nod.

"Then I have no choice other than to banish you from BreezeClan until you regain your faith. I'm sorry. Please leave now." says Skystar.

Redblaze agrees. "It's the best thing for you, Cherrynose."

Silently, I leave the den. I take some fresh-kill and a few herbs, in case I get sick. As I leave the camp, I look back on it one last time. The whole Clan is staring at me. One queen is even protecting her kits, as if I would hurt them. I turn around and run.

After a short time, I find a grassy meadow full of mice, the perfect place for a den. I manage to build a den out of cattails that grow in a pond near the meadow. The floor is made of sweet-smelling dried grass.

The next few days are uneventful. I hunt, drink water, and sleep. It's like Clan life, except quieter, without rules and a set belief. But one morning, a sharp pain hits me in the stomach. The kits! I'd almost forgotten about them, and now they're coming. I thought it would be a little while longer, but they seem to be set on coming now.

I scream and writhe in pain on the floor of my grassy den. Suddenly, a pretty brown tabby appears in front of me. I gasp.

"Brightpaw?" I say. "Is it really you?"

She looks perfectly healthy, like she was before greencough killed her. She seems to have a halo surrounding her, and she seems almost like a wisp of air. She smiles and nods.

"Yes, it's me. I'm in StarClan now. It does exist, Cherrynose. It's beautiful there, always sunny with plenty of prey." As she describes it, I realize that StarClan is real, and that it's more powerful than I ever could have imagined. My thoughts are interrupted by another pain, this one knocking me to the side.

Brightpaw helps me, and I soon have three beautiful she-kits laying next to me. Two of them are the same reddish color as me and Redblaze. But one of them is a pale brown tabby, just like Brightpaw. Brightpaw is standing next to the brown kit.

"Think of this one as a gift from me. You would have only had the two red kits, but you needed this one. She's like me, Cherrynose. She _is _me." After Brightpaw is done speaking, I can see her soul fading into the little brown kit.

"Brightkit." I murmur. As I say the name, the brown kit mews. She's perfect. All of the kits are perfect. I decide to name the other two Rosekit and Emberkit, after two other cats who are now in StarClan: my mentor, Rosepetal, and an old leader, Emberstar.

I pick up the three kits in my mouth. They sway back and forth as I head back to BreezeClan. StarClan does exist. Brightpaw is still living, in a way. Twelve moons later, the kit is named Brightspirit after the apprentice with the brightest spirit in the Clans.


End file.
